Waiting
by SimOph52
Summary: Booth is following Brennan around like a stalker but not so descretely. Brennan is getting angry.
1. Chapter 1

I'M BACK!

This is a short one... I know I said that Twenty Dollars was going to be short too, but this time I mean it! I should be posting sporadically throughout the night and hopefully have the whole thing up by at least tomorrow afternoon.

Besides, I have another story idea in the works that I don't want to put off for too long.

Let me know what you think.

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She sighed, glancing over at her alarm clock and waiting for the numbers to change so that the alarm would go off. She was relaxed; more so than she had been in the past few days. She closed her eyes, willing for the moment of sadness to pass when her alarm blared at full volume a static sounding radio station that she hadn't had the time or care to change since she moved the alarm clock to her side of the bed.

She sat up and slapped the top of the alarm clock and the sound immediately ceased. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed again. She reluctantly got out of bed and trudged her way to the bathroom for her ritual morning shower.

After getting dressed and applying her makeup meticulously, she walked into the kitchen and was greeted by him. He was clad in his usual suit for work and sat at the kitchen table with a newspaper, a cup of coffee in front of him and one cup sitting out intended for her. She eyed the cup warily and ignored it, getting a new cup of her own and pouring what was left in the pot for herself.

"Good morning." He said cheerfully.

She turned for a moment and stared at him and he reciprocated it. Her face was stone cold as she studied him. Realizing that this was probably not good for her, she gulped down the rest of the hot coffee, burning her tounge in the process, but sucked up the pain and grabbed her coat and shrugging it on. He stood quickly and grabbed his coat from the end of the couch where his stuffed over night bag and a folded blanket and pillow sat at the end of her couch.

She grunted as she went to reach for the door handle and he jumped in to open it for her first. She briskly walked through the door and looked back to see him locking her front door with the key she had mistakenly given him a few months back and turned, jetting for the elevator in hopes that she could make it there before him, leaving him to either run down the stairs or wait for it to come back up.

She called the elevator and sighed when she realized that he had caught up to her in time to catch the ride down with her. They stood next to one another not saying anything. She could feel his eyes on him but she refused to acknowledge his presence the same way that she had been doing so the last week. He sighed heavily, willing her to speak to him, but no such luck.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened for them. They stepped inside and she pressed the button for the basement floor/garage and stepped back, accidentally bumping into him. He put his hand behind her back, steadying her from falling over, "Oops, sorry, Bones." He said quickly apologizing for being in her way. She merely glanced over her shoulder and scowled at him.

He chuckled slightly under his breath and smiled at her. She was stubborn alright, and that was one of the things that he loved so much about her. He was a patient man however, despite most circumstances, he could wait for her forever and he knew it, but more than anything, he was stubborn too, just as stubborn as she was and he wasn't going to give up on her so easily. She just had to see it for herself.

When the reached the garage level they stepped out of the elevator and he followed her to her car and watched her get in. He waved as she pulled out of her spot but she merely scowled at him and after she began to drive away, he jumped into the SUV and pulled out of his spot.

Ten minutes later, she had made it into the medico-legal lab and sighed in relief when there was no evidence of Seeley Booth anywhere in sight. Angela waved good morning to her as she passed by and Temperance smiled and made her way to her office, unlocking her door and setting her things down before moving behind her desk and switching on her computer and taking a moment to check her email. She reached over on her desk and picked up her coffee and took a sip.

She stopped the cup at her lips and looked at it. She turned around and there he was with a matching coffee cup and a paper bag dangling in front of her face, "UH! You have got to be kidding me!" she yelled.

He dropped the bag on her desk and leaned toward her, "Those are the first words you have spoken to me all week." He said smiling victoriously.

"You need to stop following me around like a lost puppy-dog, Booth. You're bordering on stalking at this point." She fumed.

Booth rolled his eyes, "I don't know too many stalkies who let their stalkers sleep on their couch to stalk them, Bones. And besides, metaphorically, I am a lost puppy-dog, waiting for my master to figure out what she wants." He said, strolling over to her couch and plopping down on it and kicking his feet up on her coffee table.

"I don't want anything Booth. We've been over this already." She said firmly.

"You're lying, Bones." He scoffed, not looking at her, "I used to be a degenerate gambler, remember? You have a tell." He said winking at her.

"Not degenerate." She whispered under her breath and turning back to the computer. Whatever was in the bag that he had brought smelled delicious. The scent was wafting through the thin paper and tantalizing her senses. She peered at the bag through the corner of her eye and then looked back at the computer screen.

"It won't be symbolic of you conceding if you eat it." He said to her, taking another sip of his coffee.

She smiled and pulled the bag off of her desk and placing it in her lap. She opened the bag and pulled out a powdered jelly donut, "Jelly." She said curiously, "How did you-." She said and sighed, "Never mind."

Booth laughed, "I know you a lot better than you think I do. Daffodils and Daisies, ya know?"

She rolled her eyes and bit into the heaven that was the jelly donut that he had bought for her. She took no time in devouring the donut and putting her computer to sleep mode before standing up and shrugging on her lab coat. She took ten steps outside her office and turned. There he was again, following her, "Don't you have to go to work?" she asked angrily.

Booth shook his head, "Told Cullen I would be here, working on paperwork with you all day." He smiled.

She grumbled noticeably and turned abruptly on her heels and made her way into limbo to pick up a set of remains that needed to be identified. She grabbed a box quickly and hurried to the platform where she hoped that if she walked quickly enough he might fall behind and loose him in the maze of hallways, but when she reached the stairs for the platform, the beeping of the card reader alerted her that she had neither lost him, nor had she effectively squashed his hopes of chivalry for her. She stomped up the steps of the platform and began laying out the bones anatomically and Booth took a seat in front of one of the computers and watched her.


	2. Chapter 2

**MOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

**Review!**

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Three hours later and one and a half limbo bodies identified and catalogued, Booth stood up and stretched out his back. Angela smiled as she stepped up onto the platform at the sight in front of her and rolled her eyes. She was glad that half of the clueless party clued in to what she had been saying all along, and knew that it was only a matter of time before they either got together or imploded with sexual frustration and an exorbitant amount of denial that was physically impossible to attain for an extended period of time. By her watch, it was only a matter of days before Brennan's head exploded.

Booth cautiously approached the hunched anthropologist and leaned down, "I don't care if you're ignoring me, but you have to eat. It's lunch time and I will literally carry you out of here if you're not walking out on your own in the next ten minutes."

Brennan groaned and stomped her feet like a petulant child a few times and then straightened up and threw her clipboard and pencil down on the tray next to her. She began storming off the platform but Angela caught her arm before she made it the whole way, "Sweetie, I have no doubts that you are extremely proficient at being stubborn, in fact if I could I would put it in a museum and call it art. The man was a sniper which means his patience trumps your stubbornness and he won't give up until he's won." She smiled. Brennan bit the inside of her cheek and glared at her best friend in response until Angela let go of her arm, "Don't shoot the messenger." She said raising her hands up in defense.

Brennan continued to storm off of the platform and Booth winked at her before following Brennan into her office. He grabbed his coat off of the couch and attempted to help her with her coat, but she ripped it out of his grasp and put it on herself and brushed past him. He quickly hurried behind her and slipped into her passenger seat before she could lock the door to keep him out. She sat back in her driver's seat for a moment and closed her eyes, attempting to calm her nerves down. She wasn't sure if it was frustration or the smell of his cologne that was making her heart race faster but either way she knew that getting flustered and emotional was of no use. She was the one thinking logically in all of this; she knew what was best.

She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her out of her peripheral vision and slid her key into the ignition and started the car. A small smile played on her face as she pulled out of the spot. It was a small step, but she knew that he would hate it and see one reason why it wouldn't work between them. She backed out of the spot and drove to the gate and waved to the guard as they drove by. Pulling out onto the road, she drove past the diner and saw Booth's questioning look as the diner passed in her rearview mirror. Ten minutes later, she pulled into a spot in front of a five star vegan restaurant that had caught her attention in the paper a few weeks back.

She got out of the car and pulled open the door, knowing that Booth would detest the idea of eating in a place like this. When she felt the door pulling further open behind her, she saw Booth entering the restaurant cautiously with a look of distaste. Quite honestly, she thought that he would have run across the street to the hotdog stand on the corner by now but here he was standing behind her as she asked for a table and following behind her as she was led to their seats. They sat down and opened their menus.

When the waiter came by Brennan spoke up before Booth even had a chance, "We will both have a cup of black coffee, his with sugar and milk and mine black and we'll both be eating the Vegan Empanada." She said, smiling to the waiter.

Booth's face went pale as he looked at the menu to find that the ingredients of the Empanada changed every week and he didn't know exactly what he would be eating for lunch; only knowing that meat was not a part of the package. The waiter took their menus and left and Booth leaned into her, "Bones, they had some non-vegan things on the menu." He whispered.

She smiled and raised her eyebrows at him condescendingly and raised her glass of water in a "cheers" type manner before taking a dramatic victory sip. She placed the glass back down on the table and they both leaned back in their chairs. She was looking around the restaurant and taking in the décor of the place, but he knew that she was just avoiding eye contact with him.

Booth slapped his hands on his thighs, "So." He said, "Why did you let me sleep in your apartment the last few nights?" he asked.

Brennan scoffed, "My neighbor called to inform me that there was a homeless man sleeping outside of my door."

"Wait, you actually speak to your neighbors?" he asked incredulously.

Brennan glared at him for the assumption, "We have a directory for the building." She said flatly. She smiled, "It's what we rich people do." She said.

Booth laughed and shifted in his seat, "That isn't going to work on me, Bones."

"Why?" she asked.

Booth leaned across the table toward her, "Because I know you." He said.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm rich and that you hate rich people." She said.

"You don't understand." He said waving her off, "You've worked for your success. You don't use your success to your advantage." He said.

Brennan shook her head, "I do, Booth. It's how I got into contact with the Senators and Congressmen." She said.

"That doesn't count." He said smiling at her.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You rebuilt the bridge into Huntsville. It was a completely selfless act, Bones. You did something good with the money that you had for absolutely no benefit for yourself."

Brennan smiled and quickly hid it by leaning back in her chair, "The building of the bridge got press, Booth. How do you know that that isn't the reason why I did it?" she asked, "My publisher was ecstatic about it and the sales of my book went up because of it."

"You're not that kind of person, Bones." He said simply.

"You don't know that, Booth." She replied.

"Yes." He said, looking her in the eyes, "Yes I do."

She knew that he was right. The last thing that she wanted for building that bridge was publicity. She did it to help the town but mostly she did it for Andy and his new family. She didn't want him to grow up in want for anything and that was part of the reason that she had hired Carol Grant as the project manager; to ensure that the Grant's could provide for him. In reality it was a selfish act because of her feelings toward the baby that she and Booth had taken care of, but she knew that of all of the selfish acts in the world, hers was most likely one of the most beneficial for all parties involved.

The waiter came over and set down their plates and drinks in front of them and Brennan smiled at the dish and looked at Booth. He was looking at the empanada warily and poking at it with a knife to see exactly what was inside. She sighed and now felt bad for ordering for both of them. She knew that Booth didn't want to eat it and she didn't want him to starve because of her frivolous need to punish him for following her around for the past four days, "If you don't like it, we can send it back and have them prepare something else." She said softly.

Booth looked up at her in surprise, "No." he said firmly, "I'm going to try this." He said, "Besides, It would be a waste of food." He smiled at her.

She took a bite and closed her eyes to enjoy the flavor. When she opened them back up, Booth was looking at her, almost as though he were making sure that it wasn't poisoned before she took a bite, "Are you going to eat it or just watch me eat it?" she asked. He smiled at her and hesitantly took a bite. His eyes widened and he looked up at her, "Is it really that bad?" she asked.

He looked down at the empanada and back up at her, "It's delicious." He said, slightly surprised.

She laughed at him and then frowned, realizing that her plan had failed. She watched him as he downed the rest of the empanada hungrily and finished hers as well. She needed something better; something to make him realize that this would never work, "Okay." She said after swallowing the last bite of her food, "If I'm not entitled then why do I live in such a large luxurious apartment by myself. It's wasteful." She said.

Booth laughed and picked at the crumbs on his plate, "You're not going to like my answer. It's fraught with psychology." He said smiling up at her.

She groaned and rolled her eyes, "Let me hear it anyway." She said, hoping that she could challenge his hypothesis.

"You moved into a bigger apartment shortly after you and I became partners." He said.

She shook her head, "That is neither psychology nor is it a reason for why I live in a large apartment." She said vehemently.

"Let me finish." He said. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms defensively, "I'm not saying that it has anything to do with me, but I guess wishful thinking made me kind of think that it was. I believe that you moved into a bigger apartment because you hope one day to fill it." He said.

"Fill it with what?" she asked harshly.

Booth sat back and looked at her before answering, "A family."

Brennan stared at him for a moment and then rolled her eyes and scoffed, "That is ridiculous." She said.

Booth nodded, "Okay, then. Tell me why it is so ridiculous."

"You're main point based upon the fact that you believe that I am going to change my mind about having children which I have clearly indicated on many occasions that I don't want any." She argued.

Booth shook his head, "That isn't true."

She pulled her arms closer into her body, "Yes it is." She said firmly, "I don't want any children, especially yours." She said. The instant the words were out of her mouth she regretted saying them and it was evident to him.

He knew she didn't mean what she was saying but that didn't stop him from becoming angry with her. He quickly leaned across the table and looked her dead in the eyes, "If that were true you wouldn't constantly be telling me how good of a breeder I am according to your beloved anthropology. If that were true you wouldn't be living in such a large apartment with all of that 'wasteful' space because you believe in conservation. And if that were true," he paused, looking at her face. He softened his tone and looked down at the table, "You wouldn't be crying right now." He said.

Her eyes widened and she brushed her cheek and found that she was indeed crying. She wiped her tears away from her eyes and grabbed her purse and stood up from the table, "We have to get back. I don't want to be late."

Booth stood up and took his wallet out of his back pocket. She stopped him by gently placing her hand on his and took a few bills out of her pocket and placed them on the table. She looked up at him, and they both accepted the silent apology that was exchanged between them. He took her coat from her arms and helped her put it on and then swung his own coat around his back and shrugged it on. He guided her back to the car and she silently gave him the keys and they drove back to the Jeffersonian in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Next Chapter. Let me know!**

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It was three p.m. and Brennan was sitting at her desk going over her work's progress for the day. Booth was sitting on her couch, finally reviewing the files that he had told Cullen he would be working on all day. There was a knock on the door and both Booth and Brennan looked up to find Angela standing at the threshold.

"Out Booth. Girl talk time." She said nodding her head toward the door.

Booth looked at Brennan and back at Angela, "Doesn't that kind of defeat my overall purpose of following her around?" he asked her.

Angela snorted, "I don't care what you do, Booth. Stand at the door and stare in at her longingly if it makes you feel better just get out." She said crossing her arms.

Booth closed the case file and placed it on the coffee table and stood up and walked towards the door, "Fine. I'm going to get us both some coffee then." He said to Brennan, "And don't run away while I'm gone. They didn't give me the title Special Agent for nothing." He laughed.

Angela slapped his butt before closing the door behind him. Brennan watched him walk towards the exit and disappear from sight and Angela watched her watching him, "Okay Sweetie. What gives?" she asked.

"Huh?" Brennan said focusing her attention on her best friend.

"All I know about what happened so far is that Booth has one way or another let the cat out of the bag." She said sitting across from her friend.

"What cat, Angela? Booth doesn't have a cat and he certainly wouldn't abuse it if he did." She said.

Angela sighed and shook her head, "I should really know better by now. What I meant to say was, Booth told you he loves you, but I don't know how or why and now he's following you around." She said.

Brennan nodded, "Yes. That is accurate." She said, turning back to her notes.

Angela stood and swiped the notes away from her and Brennan tried to get them back but was unsuccessful. Angela sat again, this time on Brennan's notes and folded her arms, "Tell me what happened." She implored.

Brennan sighed and sat back in her chair, "Fine." She said, "As long as you promise not to squeal, scream, jump for joy or display any kind of manic emotion after I tell you." She smiled.

Angela sighed dramatically and slumped in her seat, "I'll do my best, but just for the record, you suck the fun out of girl talk."

Brennan cocked her head to the side and glared at her friend. She then settled down and looked away from her, "Six nights ago, after we finished the Solito case…"

"The one about the husband murdering his wife?" Angela asked.

"Yes, Booth and I were arguing about marriage. It's a stupid fight that we have occasionally; it's not even really a fight as it is a debate of opposing views. Anyway, we were parked outside of my apartment and I had gotten angry and stormed out of the car, but Booth being who he is, followed me to make sure that I got to my door okay."

Angela sighed dreamily and Brennan looked at her questioningly. Angela rolled her eyes, "Bren, he was pissed at you and still cared enough to make sure that you got in okay. It's sweet." She said.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "He would blame himself if I were abducted or murdered, that's all, Ange." She said, "Regardless, he stopped me in the lobby before we got to the elevator and he gave me this speech about how marriage is supposed to be a union of two people who are willing to make sacrifices for each other and who love one another unconditionally; not people who love in spite of each other's flaws but because of each other's flaws. And then he said something. I don't think he even meant to say it, but it came out so quickly that…"

Angela leaned forward in curiosity, "What did he say, Bren?" she asked.

Brennan sighed and closed her eyes, "After the whole bit about being in love with someone because of their flaws, as a whole person regardless of their pasts, opinions and major differences in personality he said… 'like the way I love you'."

Angela slapped her hand over her mouth, no doubt containing the shrill of excitement on the verge of bursting from her lips. Brennan sighed and watched her friend attempt to contain herself, "That isn't all, Angela." She said sadly.

Angela dropped her hands and was dumbfounded, "What else?" she asked, "Did he kiss you?" she said hopefully.

"No." Brennan replied and put her hand to her head.

Angela gasped, "Oh my God, did you have sex?" she asked, the tone of her voice lowering.

Brennan laughed, "No, Angela!" Brennan shouted.

Angela made a sound like she was being strangled with Brennan's secrecy, "I hate cliff hangers, Sweetie. You have to tell me." She said.

Brennan took a sharp breath and looked at her friend, "I kissed him."

Angela's jaw dropped, "You?" she asked.

Brennan nodded mournfully, "I don't know what I was thinking, Ange."

Angela rolled her eyes, "You were thinking that this incredibly beautiful and perfect man told you that he loved you." She said incredulously, "And you were telling him the same thing only physically rather than verbally."

Brennan groaned, "No, Angela. It can't work. It won't work. We are partners and he wants things out of life that I don't."

"Do you love him?" Angela asked.

Brennan sighed, "That's not the point, Ange."

Angela smiled, "You just answered my question, Sweetie. There are times in life where being noble is a good thing, but when it comes to love, being noble only makes you miserable; and him for that matter. You don't get to be judge and jury for this, Sweetie. There is no good reason why you and Booth shouldn't have a life together, despite all of your rational. And it's true that on paper, you two are awful for each other, but life isn't on paper; it's in the real world. The world that you two go out into everyday and try to right wrongs, literally and figuratively mend bridges and bring closure to people who need it the most. What the two of you do for the world is amazing; just imagine what you could do for each other." She said.

Brennan swiveled in her chair for a moment thinking over what Angela said, "You make us sound virtuous and it isn't that simple." Brennan replied.

Angela smiled, "What could be simpler than saying yes to the man that you love?"

Just then there was a knock on the door and both women looked up to see Booth frowning at the door with a tray of coffees in his hand. Both women laughed and Angela stood up from her seat and tossed Brennan's notes back at her. Booth entered the room and placed a cup in front of Brennan's desk and handed a cup to Angela, tossing the tray into the garbage and taking a sip of his own, "What'd I miss?" Booth asked swinging on his heels.

The woman laughed and Brennan grabbed the file off of her desk, "Angela warming my notes with her butt."

Booth smiled at her and at Angela, "Sexy…" he said.

Angela wiggled her eyebrows and headed for the door, throwing over her shoulder, "You have no idea G-man." She said, then exiting the office.

Booth smiled at Brennan and then made his way over to the couch and flipped open his case notes again. They sat in silence, but Booth knew that she was looking at him. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of looking up at her mainly because he knew that Angela had said something that made her think and he didn't want her to stop contemplating the idea of being with him. He wanted her to think about their potential and he needed her to figure out on her own that it was a good idea. So he kept his eyes firmly planted on his paperwork despite the fact that he was only pretending to read it.


	4. Chapter 4

**NEW CHAPTER! **

**Let me know what you think. More to come TONIGHT! Quite possibly wrapping up with a cute bow on top!**

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Two hours later, five case files and three identified previously unidentified limbo bodies later, Seeley Booth stood up from the brown leather couch in Dr. Brennan's office and stretched out his back. Brennan had just come back from the bathroom and began sifting through her notes for her clipboard and a fresh sheet of paper. When she gathered all of her materials, she turned to walk out the door when she ran face first into her stalker's chiseled chest that was unfortunately covered by a blue button down shirt. He quickly wrapped his arms around her to steady her from falling.

"Ow!" she said, bringing her hand up to her face where she slammed her head against him.

Booth laughed, not releasing her from his grasp yet, "You should watch where you're walking, Bones. Not that I mind though." He said, gripping her tighter and kissing her temple.

She wriggled out of his grasp and looked at him. He was holding her coat in his hand; which he presented for her to put on. Brennan looked between him and the coat before attempting to side step him, but as she predicted her cut her off before she made it around him, "I don't have time for this, Booth." She said with a hint of whine in her voice.

Booth shook her jacket, attempting to tempt her into putting it on, "Yes you do. I talked to Cam earlier and she said you're ahead of schedule with the Limbo bodies. That means you can go out for dinner and you can go home for some R&R time." Booth said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Brennan pursed her lips and folded her arms, "This is a conspiracy. Where is Jack?" she said looking through the glass pane out into the lab for him.

Booth laughed, "It's six o'clock, Bones. He went home and hour ago, after giving me encouragement in my endeavors by the way so don't look to him for moral support." Booth smiled, lowering the coat so she could slip her hands inside her sleeves.

She reluctantly put on her coat, acquiescing in the fact that she could use a little time relaxing before the upcoming schedule that she had made for herself; not to mention the week of book signings and public events her publisher was forcing her to take part in before the unveiling of her new book cover and subsequent release of the novel.

She buttoned up her coat and turned back to Booth who was putting on his coat as well and smiling at her disdainful look. He picked up her hat and scarf off of the coat hanger and wrapped the scarf around her neck so it was covering her mouth and pulled her hat down so far that it covered her eyes. The only thing he could see now was her nose between the fabric. He laughed at her, "Come on, Bones. What are you waiting for?" he asked sarcastically.

He saw her exhale dramatically and lift her hat slightly and pull down the scarf, "Very funny, Booth. Next time, just let me do it myself." She said, picking up her bag and brushing past him.

Booth sighed and looked up at the ceiling, "This is the woman I love." He said to the heavens and gesturing at the woman practically sprinting out of the lab.

He rolled his eyes and jogged to catch up with her before she left the building. When he exited the building he saw her nearing her car and decided to take drastic action. Without words, he ran up to her and scooped her up in his arms and began walking to his car with her flailing in his arms.

"Booth! Put me down!" she screamed. Booth laughed and hoisted her tighter into his arms without reply, "Booth! What do you think you are doing?" she exclaimed, slapping him on the shoulder.

He reached his passenger side door and popped the door handle and opened the door with his foot and sat her in her usual seat. He then pointed at her confused face, "Stay." He said, closing the door carefully and running around to the driver's side and got in.

"If you wanted me to come with you all you had to do was ask me like a normal human being." She said monotonously.

Booth snorted, "Yeah, and you would have said no and argued with me about it for twenty minutes before I finally convinced you to go. Just think of my barbaric 'alpha-male' actions as time management, okay?" he said, starting up the car and pulling out of the spot.

Brennan breathed heavily, attempting to portray to him her frustration with his actions, but was instead caught off guard by an extremely pleasant smell that made her stomach ache for food, "What is that smell?" she asked, turning to him curiously.

He looked over at her and smiled, "Don't worry about that right now." He said and winked at her.

She rolled her eyes at him and sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. What seemed like only seconds later, Booth gently tapped her arm to wake her from her sleep. The car was stopped and he was leaning over her from her passenger side door. She sat up and looked around, blinking her eyes a few times to extract the sleep from her eyes, "Where are we?" she asked.

Booth smiled at her, "Come on." He said, helping her out of the car. She walked out of the car and recognized where she was, the Francis Scott Key Bridge. They were parked at the edge of the water, in the sand and she looked out onto the waters edge. There was a table covered with a table cloth and a simple collapsible gazebo made out of Christmas lights. Booth came around from the back of the SUV with a basket in hand smiling at her.

She turned to look at him and blushed subconsciously, "You kidnapped me for a dinner date?" she asked.

Booth laughed and guided her to the table and set out a simple dinner and a bottle of her favorite wine, then took out a small votive candle and set it in the middle of the table, "Voila!" he said, turning to look at her.

Brennan laughed at his enthusiasm and took a seat at the table. Booth smiled and sat down across from her. He bent down to the basket and removed two small packages he got from the deli near the Jeffersonian and handed her one and kept the other for himself. Next he took out two wine glasses and popped the cork from the bottle of wine and filled them, placing one in front of her and one for himself.

Brennan smiled and rolled her eyes, "You are unbelievable." She said shaking her head.

Booth smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

She unwrapped her sandwich and found her favorite vegetarian panini inside, still warm from the oven, "How did you do all of this?" she asked, "You've been with me all afternoon." She said.

Booth smiled at her and lifted his panini in his hand, "Angela and Jack are good friends." He said.

Brennan's smile faltered, "So this was all Angela's idea?" she asked.

Booth shook his head and swallowed the bite he had taken, "No, it was my idea I just asked her for assistance in setting everything up."

Brennan nodded and began eating her sandwich. When she looked up at Booth, she noticed that he was eating the same sandwich that she was. She laughed, "Have I turned you into a vegetarian?" she asked.

Booth laughed, "Nah. I admit that the food isn't nearly as bad as I had thought, but I can't give up on meat. I just love it so much." He laughed.

Brennan half laughed and looked away towards the water, "This reminds me of that bar we went to in England in front of the London Bridge." She said under her breath.

Booth smiled, "That was the idea."

Brennan looked up at him and cocked her head to the side, "How long afterwards were you sitting outside of my door?" she asked.

Booth smiled at her, "Well, I went home and packed a bag and I was there probably within the hour."

Brennan's jaw dropped, "But I didn't find you until about eleven thirty!" she exclaimed.

Booth shrugged, "I did what I had to do." He said.

"So, you were out there for… three hours?" she asked.

Booth smiled, "Something like that." He took a sip of wine and looked at her across the table, "So what do you think?" he asked, hopefully.

She looked up at him and smiled half heartedly, "This is really lovely, Booth. Really, but you shouldn't have done it."

Booth sighed and put his sandwich down, "Why?" he asked, focusing his full attentions on her.

"I'm not… this woman. I'm not the kind of person who is supposed to be swept off of her feet. I'm not a princess in a fairytale. I'm not that special." She said, "And you… you are the knight in shining armor and you deserve a woman who can not only appreciate the effort but someone who fits the role. You deserve a woman who… wants to give you everything that you want and more." She said, fighting off the tears that she felt lingering behind her eyes."

Booth leaned his elbows on the small table, "You, Temperance, are special and in my eyes you have always been the kind of woman who not only should be swept off of her feet, but needs to be. The only thing I need is you and Parker and I can be happy for the rest of my life." He said simply.

Brennan shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and she looked down at her mother's ring on her hand. She could feel her breathing becoming erratic and it was becoming harder to resist him and to fend off the multitude of emotions that were coursing through her body. She closed her eyes and fought back against the tears more vigorously when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find Booth kneeling next to her, "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.

Brennan took a labored breath and nodded, "I would like to go home now please." She said.

Booth dropped his head in disappointment. After a moment, he stood up and blew out the candle and packed everything back into the basket and packed it all back up including the gazebo, table and chairs back in the SUV. Brennan watched him from her seat in the SUV and chastised herself for being so ungrateful to him. She knew that he was disappointed in her, but it was in his best interest. If they ever did get into a romantic relationship she would continuously disappoint him. She rationalized that it was better for him to realize that fact now rather then when they were both more invested in the relationship when the cost was greater.

Booth closed the hatch and came around to the driver's side and looked at her, closing the door quietly. He wasn't mad at her. He knew the stakes too, but chose optimism rather than dismissing the idea of a relationship with her all together. He knew in his gut that if she could see herself the way he did then she would know how much she underestimated herself. He also knew that if she gave them a chance; if she fully accepted him into her heart that she wouldn't regret it. He knew that they could be great together without evidence or facts like it was a sign from God telling him this was it; there was no other woman in the world for him.

After a minute or so of just sitting in the car, Brennan looked over at Booth who was staring at her. The emotion in his eyes startled her and she realized that she had seen this look numerous times in their history of working together. She felt the shiver up her spine which usually coincided with his gaze upon her and it hurt her even more that she knew that it could never happen because the outcome would be disastrous.

Booth took a breath and it broke the spell. Brennan looked back out the window and leaned her head on the glass. Booth shifted and put on his seat belt. With one last look he leaned toward her and said, "I still love you, Temperance." He said, starting the ignition and driving toward her apartment. He didn't see renegade tear that escaped down her cheek and settle on the shoulder of her blue suede jacket.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here you go! Hope you like it! Thanks for reading and please review.**

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Arriving back at her apartment, Brennan was not surprised that he parked in the garage and followed her upstairs. When she reached her door she looked up at him and sighed, then continued unlocking her door and pushing it open. She entered her apartment and Booth followed behind her and he locked the door. She turned and looked at him, clearly annoyed, then turned and picked up his over night bag and brushed past him, opening the front door again and waited.

Booth stood silently and crossed his arms refusing to leave and in response, Brennan huffed and stomped her foot once on the ground. When he still refused to move, she tossed his bag into the hallway and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and attempting to force him out of her apartment.

"Bones, what are you doing?" he asked, slightly laughing at her unsuccessful efforts.

Brennan looked as though she were playing tug of war and loosing badly, "I'm not going to play this infantile game with you anymore. I want you to leave." She yelled.

Booth's face became serious and he grasped her arm, "I'm not going anywhere." He said.

She glanced up at him and then back to the arm she was trying to pull, "Yes you are!" she said, mumbling in her efforts to eradicate him from her apartment.

"No Bones," he said, pulling her towards him, "You don't get it. I… am not… going… anywhere." He said, emphasizing his words.

She stopped pulling on him and looked him in the eyes, her face was contorted in confusion and her head tilted to the side, not grasping what he was trying to say, "What?" she said, furrowing her brows.

He bent over and looked her dead in the eyes and she was caught off guard by his proximity, "I refuse to leave you, Temperance."

She wriggled out of his grasp and backed away slowly realizing that the conversation was no longer about literally leaving, "How do I get rid of you?" she asked softly, massaging her arm where his firm grasp had just been relinquished.

He took a step toward her, "You can't."

She shook her head and refused to look at him, but he knew that she was fighting off overwhelming emotions that she didn't want him seeing, "There must be a way." She said.

His heart was aching in his chest at the sound of her tear sodden voice, "I guarantee you that it is impossible. Do you want to know why?" he asked. She nodded slightly, still refusing to meet his gaze, "It's because I know that the more you push me away, the more you need me by your side. I've known how I felt about you for a long time and I've known even longer than that, that this wasn't going to be easy; getting you to let me in. You set people up to let you down so that you can prove your hypothesis that love doesn't exist true and so far, you've had grade A, one hundred percent positive results that you were right." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away, but he insisted, "Temperance, I am going to be the exception. I am going to prove your theory wrong. I will not disappoint you and I won't leave you just because you pretend that is what you want. So go ahead, kick me around, call me names, tell me you hate me, because I know," he took a step forward and this time she didn't move away, "that deep down, you love me as much as I love you."

Temperance looked up at him finally and knew that he wasn't being insincere. She pulled back immediately and he sighed, "It won't work, Booth. You think that love is all that matters in this situation? Love will take away all of our problems? What about work, Booth? What about our jobs? What about Parker and the life that you want? I can't give you a happy family, Booth. I don't even know how to start. I'm distant and cold and the only thing I care about are bones. You can't be happy with me. I want you to have a chance to have all of the things that you have ever wanted and being with me will only hurt you in the long run." She shrugged and walked back to the door and leaned on the frame, "I don't want to be with you because I will never want to give you what you need."

Booth looked down at his shuffling feet and then back up at her nodding. He took a few steps to the door, but veered off path trapping her between his arms and body. His voice was a low whisper and it strangely reminded her of the day at the shooting range when they were heatedly debating the differences between cops and squints "Since when do you decide what makes me happy, Temperance?" he said half jokingly, half completely serious, "If I understood you correctly, you want to be with me, but you're too afraid that I won't get what I want because we would be together. How do you know what I want?"

Brennan crossed her arms and shifted on her feet, "You're a family man, Booth. I'm not. My family abandoned me and I have never felt the urge to make one of my own. I'm independent; antisocial. I don't need or want a man in my life. I don't…" she said taking a deep breath and lifting her gaze to meet his, "I don't love you. Right now, I'm not even sure that I like you."

Booth smiled a cocky smile and leaned it, "Liar."

"Get out." She said forcefully. The smile quickly melted away and she knew immediately that she had made a mistake. She tried to get out of his hold, but he pressed his body up against hers, pinning her to the wall. Despite being completely exhilarated by the feeling of him against her, her face remained stony, cold and objective, "This is assault Agent Booth." She said firmly.

"I'm not done talking to you yet." He said, "Will you just listen to me?"

Brennan writhed underneath him, trying to make an escape but failed, "Get off of me and leave."

"If you're so uncomfortable with it, why don't you yell? I'm sure one of your rich neighbors will call you and inform you that a homeless man is trying to take advantage of you in the doorway." He said, humorlessly. She stared back at him, challenging him to make a move on her, but she knew that he wasn't going to physically harm her in any way. He wasn't that kind of man; what he was doing was merely trying to make her understand and she knew that the only way he could accomplish it was by physically overpowering her because that was his only advantage over her, "Listen to me, Bones. You don't get to decide what makes me happy. It is my choice and mine alone. You are what I want and you are all I need to be happy. If you don't want children and the white picket fence and a dog, fine. I don't know why you ever thought that I did."

Her eyes widened, "You don't?" she asked, her voice unintentionally softening.

"No; that life is not who I am. I'm a cop; we fight bad guys everyday together. We live loud, noisy, exhilarating dangerous lives and I will never trade that to have a quiet 'normal' life in the suburbs." He could tell that he was reeling her in and it was getting him excited, "And yeah, having another kid would be great, but I have Parker and he's more than enough to keep me happy."

"What about the dog?" she asked.

Booth smiled, "We could get a dog, if you want. But not one of those yappy purse dogs." He laughed. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him, "So tell me, Temperance. What do you want?"

Brennan smiled and looked away from his face. When she turned back to him, her eyes were teary, "You." She said simply.

Booth smiled at her and ran the back of his hand across her cheek, collecting her tears on his skin, "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked.

She laughed before running her hands through his hair and pulling him in for a kiss. Booth laced his arms behind her back and lifted her up into the air and she wrapped her legs around his torso. Booth laughed, then kicked the front door closed, leaving his belongings in the hall to retrieve later. Then he walked them both down to her bedroom.

The phone rang. Considering that the occupants of the apartment were currently unavailable the call went to the machiene.

"You have reached Dr. Temperance Brennan. I am unable to answer your call at this time so please leave a detailed message at the beep. Thank you."

"Hi, Doctor Brennan. This is Charlene McKenzie; Apartment 5D. I think I just saw that homeless man again outside of your apartment. I'm not sure but, I think he may have been taking advantage of you. I was just wondering if there was something I should be doing? Give me a call back and let me know that you're okay. Thanks!"

THE END


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